BWW Blog: Tory Ross of KINKY BOOTS - The Making of a Price and Son Shoe: Part Deux

Hello BroadwayWorld Blog readers! Today I shall continue with my four-part series: The Making of a Price and Son Shoe. Before I continue however, I wanted to inform you that after reading the first instalment of this missive, the ladies interviewed, having seen in print exactly how they felt about each other had some choice words for each other. It was wonderful to watch, especially since British curse words are so fabulous. Try to bollocks five times fast!

I turn my focus now to Danny Sherman, who plays the Don Shumaker [which is curiously close to "shoe maker"] at the Price and Son Shoe Factory.

Tory Ross as Pat Smythe: So Don, what do you do with a Price and Son shoe at the Factory?Danny Sherman as Don Shumaker: I make 'em better.TR as PS: But what exactly do you do when you get the shoe from the stitcher?DS as DS: Um, I'm not really sure what the machine does. I just stick the shoe in there, and when it comes out, it's um, it's better.

[Don takes the leather pieces, now assembled and referred to as an "upper", places them on top of a wooden or plastic mold of a foot (a "last"), and places them in the machine that then molds the leather to the last. He would explain this... but he isn't a man of many words.]

TR as PS: I hear you are fourth-generation Price and Son, so who taught you how to put the shoe in the machine?DS as DS: Kay, hold on a second. First of all, I'm third-generation not fourth-generation. I dunno who told you that.TR as PS: Sorry.DS as DS: You should be.TR as PS: Does this make you like me less?DS as DS: No. No. You know, it's alright. It's just, you know, if you're gonna, what do they say, conduct an interview, you should know what you're talking about, right?TR as PS: Okay. Who is your favourite person at the factory.DS as DS: [pause] It's Gemma Louise.TR as PS: Tell me why.DS as DS: Cause she hates me.TR as PS: So why is she your favourite?DS as DS: I spend every livelong day tryin' to make her like me again... and it'll never happen.TR as PS: What's the conTROversy. [British pronunciation]DS as DS: Um, I think she's a little miffed about me standin' her up at Prom years ago and she still holds a grudge.TR as PS: So, she's not into girls?DS as DS: [pause] Well she may be into girls now. She wasn't back then. At least, that's what I was told.TR as PS: Have you successfully kissed her on the mouth?DS as DS: Well that's a little personal. You'll have to ask her about that. You have to understand, Gemma Louise has a mouth that could French-kiss a Bull-Moose, so kissing her on the mouth, there's lots of parts so I'm not really sure if i got it or not. But I do know that when i did kiss her, it was definitely on the succulent side.TR as PS: Oh! [pause] What is your favourite part of making shoes?DS as DS: Um, my paycheck cause then i get to go... you know, I'm a tavern athlete. I dunno if you're aware of that, but I'm a tavern athlete which means, I'm great at pool, I'm great at darts, I'm great at drinking and that's what makes me a tavern athlete and my paycheck allows me to survive and succeed as a tavern athlete.TR as PS: What's your favourite tavern?DS as DS: Fisticuffs.TR as PS: Are you a bit of a legend there?DS as DS: Well of course. You've seen the writing on the wall.TR as PS: I've seen some writing in the women's loo.DS as DS: Well I dunno nothin' about that. I don't go into the women's loo. What's it say in there? What's it say?TR as PS: Well it says, "for a good time call don" and then your telephone number.DS as DS: Well that's true.